Challenging Hiring Environment to Continue for IT in 2015

The challenge information technology (IT) companies face in filling technical positions is likely to persist in 2015, according to the IT Industry Outlook 2015 released this week by CompTIA, the IT industry association.

The survey of nearly 650 IT companies reveals that 68 percent of executives expect to face a challenging or very challenging hiring environment for technical positions this year.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an unemployment rate for computer and mathematical occupations at less than half the national rate, further confirming the strong demand for IT workers.

“Companies across our industry are delivering affordable, creative technology solutions for businesses and consumers alike, but the persistent shortage of workers educated, trained and certified in the latest technologies threatens to stall the pace of innovation,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA.

A net 43 percent of U.S. IT companies report having job openings. Another 36 percent say they are fully staffed, but would like to make new hires to support business expansion and growth. One in five companies have postponed or canceled projects due to understaffing.

U.S. businesses posted job notices for nearly 600,000 core IT positions during Q4 of 2014, according to Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights. This is on top of the estimated 116,000 new IT jobs added to the U.S. labor force in 2014.

“Companies may be expanding or moving into new areas and need to employ more workers,” Thibodeaux explained. “Moreover, with large numbers of Baby Boomers nearing retirement, it is more important than ever to be thinking about the next generation of tech worker.”

Technicians and IT support and service personnel top the list of positions IT companies expect to pursue in 2015. Other in-demand skills include application development, cloud expertise, security expertise, network engineering and data and analytics expertise.

The data on the IT employment outlook is included in CompTIA's IT Industry Outlook 2015, a comprehensive report that examines the factors and trends likely to impact IT companies this year. The report is available at no cost with simple registration at http://www.comptia.org/resources/it-industry-outlook-2015.